Improvement in hay elevator and conveyer



UNrrED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

N. D. HINMANLOF STEPNEY DEPOT, CONNECTICUT.

IMPROVEMENT IN HAY iELEVATOR AND CONVEYER.`

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 59,018, dated October 23, 1866.

To all whom it may concern: Y

Be it known that I, N. D. HINMAN, of Stepney Depot, in the county of Fairfield and State of Connecticut, have invented a new and Improved Elevator and Conveyer g and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, which will enable others skilled in the art to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in which- Figure 1 is a side sectional View of my invention, taken in the line cc m, Fig. 2; and Fig. 2 is a plan or top view of the same.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.

This invention relates to a new and improved device Yfor elevating and conveying 'hay and merchandise generally for the purpose of depositing it in barns or store-houses; and it consists in a novel construction and arrangement of parts, as hereinafter fully shown and described, whereby the work may be done with the greatest facility.

The invention consists, substantially, in a carriage placed on ways in the upper part of the barn or store-house, and provided with a stop or holding mechanism for retaining the carriage while the load is being elevated, the

4carriage being also provided with a releasingy mechanism to admit of the carriage being moved on the ways after the load is elevated. The carriageis further provided with a signal to indicate when the carriage has arrived at the end of its carrying movement, so that the fork may be deprived of its load, or the mcrchandise lowered and the carriage allowed to return to its original position, and the fork or load to be again hoisted as before.

The within description applies to the niaehine when used for elevating hay.

A A represent two parallel ways, which are placed in the upper part of a barn, and in such a position as to extend over the whole length of the way where the hay is to be moved or deposited.

B is a carriage, mounted on four wheels, C, which are provided with ian ges, said wheels running on the ways.

At one endiof the ways A A there is placed a transverse bar, D, to the under side of which there are secured two metal bars, a c, the ends of which are bent in curved form to catch over pins b b, which project horizontally from the inner sides of the ways A A.

E is a transverse bar, which is also fitted on the ways A A, and has bars c c attached to its under side to rest upon the upper surfaces of the ways A A, the bar E having a bolt,l d, passing vertically through it near each end, with heads e at their lower ends to fit into notches fin the upper surfaces of the ways, said notches being made in the ways at different points to admit of the bar E being placed and secured on the ways at different points,-as may be desired.

In the carriage B, at about its center, there is fitted a pulley, F, over which the hoistingrope G, to which the hay-fork is attached, works, and H H arey two bars, which hang loosely on pins g in the carriage, and by their own gravity hang down in nearly a vertical position.

In the upper part of the carriage B there is placed a frame, I, composed of two parallel bars, h h, which are fitted loosely at one end on pinst' c', and connected at their opposite ends by a cross-bar, j, the barj being of iron, and attached to iron rods k k, secured to the ends of the bars h h, the rods k projecting a short distance in front of the cross-bar j, and having heads Z at their ends, as shown clearly in Fig. l.

J is a bail-shaped frame, having at its curve or bend a hole made through it for the hoisting-rope Gr to pass loosely through. The ends of this frame J are fitted on -pins m at the upper ends of rods K K, the lower ends of which are fitted on pins a u in the lower part of the carriage. TheseA rods K K have each a pin, o, projecting laterally from their inner sides, on which pins the bars h hof the frame I rest. To the upper ends of the rods K K there is also fitted a cross-head, L, which is connected at its center, by a screw, p, and link g, with the upper end of a bar, M, which works on a rod, fv, in the carriage, the upper end of said bar lVI having a h'ook, N, attached to it, the

object of which will be present-ly shown.

The lower end of the bar M has a rod, O,

connected to it, the inner endof said rod having a screw cut upon it, and fitted in a swivelnut, s, at the lower end of O, the latter eX- tending beyond the end of the carriage for a short distance.

P is a pawl, which is fitted in the carriage B, and works on a rod, t, as shown in Fig. 1. The lower Aend of this pawl extends down through a loop, u, formed in a sliding frame, Q, which works in suitable guides underneath the carriage; and this sliding frame has a rod, It, connected with it, said rod passing loosely through one end of the loop a, and having a head, o, at its inner end. (See Fig. l.) The rod It extends some distance beyond the end of the carriage B, and projects a trifle farther outward than the rod O.

The opposite end of the loop a is provided with a pendant, S, to which a bent or knee lever, T,"is connected by a spiral spring, U, as shown clearly in Fig. 1.

The hoisting-rope G has a knot or protuberance, fox, formed on it to prevent it being drawn through the frame J beyond a certain distance, and a chain, V, is attached to the end of said rope, the fork being connected to the chain.

On the chain V there are secured two metal thimbles, IV NV', by means of rods w, which pass through a link of the chain. `This connection admits of the thimbles being attached without interfering with the iieXibility of the chain, the latter as well as the thimbles working freely over pulley F, as will be fullyunderstood by referring to Fig. l.

To the transverse bar E there is attached, by a hinge, a', a vertical plate, X, which is shown clearly in Fig. l.

Y is a bell, secured to the carriage B; and Z is a hammer, composed of a wire or rod, having its outer end curved or bent in the form of a hook, b', which is caught-and acted upon by a spur, c', on frame Q.

The operation is as follows: The hay-fork (not shown, as any approved one may be used) is attached to the lower end of the chain V, and the carriage B is held in position while the loaded fork is being elevated, inV consequence of the bars H catching behind the pins b I), the upper ends of said bars bearing against the rods 7c k of the frame I. When the power is applied to the rope G the latter will be drawn up over pulley F and the loaded fork elevated without moving the carriage on the ways A. When the protuberance 11X on the rope G reaches the curved end of the frame J the latter will be actuated and the bars K K drawn upward, and the frame I raised, and at the same time the hook N will be drawn off from the cross-bar j, thereby releasing the bars H and freeing the carriage B, which, under the pull of the hoisting-rope, is drawn along on the ways A A. The loaded fork is prevented from descending, should the pull on the hoisting-rope at any time be suspended, by means of the thimbles W W', which catch against the pawl P, the latter being held in position by a spiral spring, A. The carriage is drawn along until the lever T strikes the plate X, which, on account of being hinged to bar E, adjusts'itself to the lnovement ot' lever T, which aetuates the frame Q, and pawl P, the upper end oi the latter being moved out from the pulley F, and admitting of the rope G descending. This movement of the frame Q also causes the hammer Z to strike the bell, the spur or projection c acting against the hook or curved end b of the bell-hammer Z, and the fork may then be made to discharge its load, and, the horse being backed, the carriage will return on the ways A A to its former position, it being designed to have the ways slightly inclined in order t0 admit of that result. As the carriage reaches the termination of its return movement the rod R strikes the transverse bar D and raises the upper end of the pawl l?, so that the hoisting- 'rope G and the fork may descend, and the lower ends of the bars H pass over the pins b, while the rod 0 strikes the bar D, and the bar M is actuated so as to throw the hook N over the crossbar j and keep the frame I down, so that the upper ends of the bars Il II will bear against them, and the carriage retained or held in position while the loaded fork is being elevated.

Two or more thimbles, W, may be used, as desired. They are necessary in order to prevent the descent of the fork during the return movement of the carriage.

This invention has been practically tested, and has been found to answer an admirable purpose.

The hoistingtackle may be arranged in substantially the same way as those of ordinary hay-elevating forks.

The transverse bar E may be adjusted at different points on the ways A, according to where it is desired to have the hay or load discharged into the barn. The transverse bar D may also be adjusted at different points, the pins b being placed in different holes in the ways.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. The frames I J, hook N, and cross-bar J, in combination with the pendent bars H H,

rod O, and bar M, all arranged in the carriage B, and used in connection with the pins b in the Ways A, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

2. The pawl l?, in combination with the thimbles W W on the chain V of the hoisting-rope G, the rod It, and frame Q, all'arranged substantially as and for the purpose specified.

3. The bent or knee lever T, connected with the frame Q, provided with the spur c', and the signal composed of the bell Y and hammer Z, substantially as and `for the purpose f set forth. e

4. The adjustable bars D E, placed on the ways A A, and the bar E, provided with the -hinged plate X, substantially as and for the hook N, cross-bar j, andthe bent or knee 1epurpose specified. ver T, all arranged to operate in Jche manner 5. The combination of the carriage B, ways substantially as and for the purpose set forth. A, adjustable bars D E, and pins b, hoistingrope G, provided with the protuberance o", and the chain V, with thimbles W W applied to it, and the frames I, J and Q, rods O R,

N. D. HINMAN. Witnesses:

WM. F. MCNAMARA, ALEX. F. ROBERQS. 

